Chocolate Donuts & Crushed Pistachios

Oct

Making your own donuts is such a delight. I never knew it would taste so much better this way. I used to love donuts from a box because they’re effective pick-me-uppers on days when you just have low energy. Having those days are like an excuse to have two or three donuts without judgment. Cheat days is what I call it. Ever since I learned how to make my own donuts, I’ve been spreading my “cheat days” all around friends and family.

It’s a little tough to make at first but when you see the green of the pistachios and the melted chocolate, you’ll be glad you did it. Trust me on presentation alone, you’ll get instant points. I honestly thought I couldn’t pull this one off having made none in the past. What got me through it is the desire to keep the donut covered in the brown goodness and then have to taste it afterwards.

You can tell I am crazy for desserts. And I am hoping that you would be the same; starting with this wonderful chocolate and pistachios combo. There’s nothing to dislike in this one.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shelled pistachios, crushed

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp soy or almond milk

3 tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup soy milk or creamer

4 ounces vegan chocolate chips

Description

Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. Prepare your donut pan and spray it with oil. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder, baking soda and salt. These are the dry ingredients to mix well. In a separate bowl, combine apple sauce, soymilk, vanilla and oil. Whisk these wet ingredients together.

Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir well until you get a good batter.

Then spoon the batter into the donut pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. You can tell that the donuts are ready if they spring back when pressed a little. Remove from oven and let it cool down. You may transfer it on a cooling rack if you have it.

Next, it’s time to make the chocolate ganache. Start by placing the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Then heat up your soymilk until it’s ready to boil (there will be a thin layer of skin forming on top when ready). Pour over the chocolate chips and cover for 5 minutes. Stir together just as the chocolate is melting. Make sure there are no lumps of chocolate on this mixture.

Dip each donut into the ganache. You can choose to dip the entire donut or just the top. Let the ganache set completely before sprinkling on the crushed pistachios. Best served as soon as chocolate has set.